Which really shows how sad this business is -- a true sequel to a smash hit that goes way beyond the original sells so poorly that it leads to mass layoffs.
This is absolutely true, but for me it just drives home the message that indie gaming is far more interesting than the latest AAA titles. The sequel is just the same game without any of the originality of the first one, and it was that originality, that joy you get from finding something new and exciting, that made the first game worth playing.
The game's quality isn't the problem. It's the forced in-app purchases (or wait massive amounts of time) they made with this new version that makes it horrible.
They went overkill on the IAP and the reviews reflect that.
Angry Birds tried to do the same. A few years ago you couldn't walk past a park or school without seeing a kid in an Angry Birds shirt or carrying one of those goody stuffed pigs. Only problem is that they milked the franchise without letting it evolve, or invest the profits in other opportunities (they tried, but how can you go from mega-hit to fresh start and hit the same lightning rod twice?). Just like that tacky wall-mounted singing fish, Angry Birds had a typical product lifetime, and Rovio should have expected their one trick pony to obey the currents of time.
Who is buying all this stupid swag? Where is it now? I guess its all in landfills after wearing an AB t-shirt or a backpack a few times and getting tired of the novelty. I wish society could have a conversation about novelty and waste. I don't think future generations will judge us kindly.
Meanwhile, I have so much Star Wars stuff in my home, much of it decades old. Comics, old toys in boxes, etc. I think there's a difference between things we value and things that just have a temporary novelty. Sure, I'll die and it'll end up in a landfill also, but it lasted much longer than all the AB t-shirts I saw for sale, pretty much everywhere. Hell, there was an AB vendor outside the Colosseum in Rome a few years ago. This shit is completely out of control.
Gaming, and particularly mobile gaming, is a hits-based industry. Angry Birds 2 is actually Angry Birds 15. They lasted 6 years, which in the mobile gaming world is a success probably comparable with one show lasting 12 years on television. It was a very good run.
Unfortunately, to achieve real staying power, you have to develop your franchise story, usually across multiple platforms. When people become bored with it, your franchise dies. You have to keep it fresh and at least recognizable in the popular culture for decades, in order to become a permanent fixture. Otherwise, you simply have to make do with the occasional nostalgic revivals.
There are literally hundreds of such franchises. Just look at this summer's blockbuster lists. And in video games, there are plenty of examples of franchises that have lasted 15+ years (CoD, Madden, etc).
It's just very difficult to know if a franchise will have staying power. Many sequels are tried, only some succeed.
For a comparison, look at King, what success do they have outside of candy crush? And it's not for the lack of games as they have quite a few.
Maybe it isn't all just luck.
And I may be being unfair not having played their games, but they follow the same mechanic, just being different themed, right?
It is too early to be sure, but I'd bet they're still riding their particular wave.
Rovio has done precisely the opposite, and tried to rebrand the same game with different themes, like Star Wars. There's nothing new under the aesthetic changes.